As Florida gets ready to expand vaccine eligibility, state sees 3,699 new COVID-19 cases

ORLANDO, Fla. – More people will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination in Florida on Monday.

The state is expanding its eligibility to include everyone who is 60 or older. The governor has estimated that will expand eligibility to roughly 2 million more Floridians.

[TRENDING: SpaceX launches 60 Starlink satellites | Weekend vaccine events for OCPS employees | Family speaks after deadly shooting]

Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to expand eligibility to everyone 55 and older soon and then he may open it to everyone, possibly by April.

Florida is currently vaccinating the following priority groups:

• Health care workers, long-term care facility staff and residents, people 65 or older. The health care group includes first responders, such as firefighters and paramedics as well as Department of Health staff.
• Those with high-risk for the virus who have this form filled out by their doctor.
• Law enforcement officers and other first responders 50 and older.
• Under federal guidelines issued by President Joe Biden all K-12 teachers, school workers and child care employees of any age are eligible for vaccinations. That group can get shots at any of these locations.

Here are 3 things you need to know about the coronavirus in Florida:

1. New FEMA vaccine site is now open in Orange County

FEMA opened a new mobile COVID-19 vaccination site on Sunday to serve people in east Orange County.

The site is at South Econ Park located at 3850 South Econlockhatchee Trail in Orlando. It’s open through Wednesday, March 17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The walk-up site is administering 500 doses of the Pfizer vaccine daily. It is first-come, first-served and no appointments are required.

2. Dr. Fauci wants former President Trump to push for vaccinations

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday he wishes former President Donald Trump would use his popularity among Republicans to persuade his followers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

In a round of interviews on the morning news shows, the government’s top infectious disease expert lamented polling showing that Trump supporters are more likely to refuse to get vaccinated, saying politics needs to be separated from “commonsense, no-brainer” public health measures.

Fauci said it would be a “game changer” for the country’s vaccine efforts if the former president used his “incredible influence” among Republicans.

3. Orange County leaders go door-to-door to help seniors get vaccinated

A new pilot program is launching in Orange County this week. Leaders said community canvassers will go door-to-door in neighborhoods to help more people get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The program will be in partnership with the State of Florida and FEMA.

County officials said the concern is that some communities don’t have proper access to a vaccination site or may not have enough information.

The goal of the program is to have trusted members of the community help get eligible individuals vaccinated inside their homes.

[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: Vaccine events focus on school employees as Florida reports 5,244 new COVID-19 cases]

Find the state-run COVID-19 dashboard below:

Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on March 14.

Cases

The Florida Department of Health reported 3,699 new cases on Sunday, bringing the state’s overall total to 1,976,808 cases since the virus was first detected on March 1, 2020.

Deaths

Florida reported 31 new virus-related deaths Sunday, bringing the death toll to 32,860 This number includes the 605 non-residents who died in Florida.

Hospitalizations

As of Sunday afternoon, there were currently 2,868 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

Since March 1, 2020, 82,256 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. That number includes the 54 new patients who have been recently hospitalized due to the virus, according to the health department’s daily report released on Sunday.

Positivity rate

The percent of positive results was 5.69% Saturday out of 79,536 tests performed. The numbers reported daily by the state reflect test results from the day prior. Health officials say the rate should remain between 5% and 10% to prove a community has a hold of the virus and is curbing infections.

Vaccinations

The Florida Department of Health began releasing a daily report in December on COVID-19 vaccines administered throughout the state.

FDOH reports 2,323,366 people are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. These individuals either received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or completed a two-shot series.

As of Friday afternoon, 4,204,186 people have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

See COVID-19 data for the Central Florida region below:

To keep up with the latest news on the pandemic, subscribe to News 6′s coronavirus newsletter and go to ClickOrlando.com/coronavirus.